News

UAE Starts Relying On Emirates ID As Proof Of Residency

Both citizens and residents can look forward to a number of benefits, including easier access to government services, less time spent at airports, and more.

Published

4 years ago

April 19, 2022

David Morelo

uae starts relying on emirates id as proof of residency

UAE ICP

From April 11, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started relying on Emirates ID as proof of residency, suspending the issuance of residence visa stamps.

Emirates ID is a smart identity card issued by Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship. All UAE citizens and residents must apply for it by filling the eForm at one of the authorized typing centers or through the online form available on website of Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC).

Each Emirates ID has an electronic chip that can store up to 32,000 letters of information. The stored information can be encrypted in order to protect the privacy of card holders and prevent unauthorized third-parties from stealing it for malicious purposes.

By switching to a modern smart identity card, the UAE is taking yet another step on its smart-city journey. Both citizens and residents can look forward to a number of benefits, including easier access to government services, less time spent at airports, and more.

Those who have registered for smart gates at airports in the UAE can pass through them by simply looking at the green light on top of the camera to verify the biometric information contained within the Emirates ID chip.

Also Read: How To Change The Mobile Number On Your Emirates ID

The replacement of residence vista stamps by Emirates ID has been made possible by the last update of the advanced card, which was introduced in August 2021 by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).

The update added several new features, including a laser-printed 3D picture, additional fields and codes definition, advanced technical characteristics, and increased data protection. The latest generation of Emirates ID cards is made using polycarbonate that should last more than 10 years and survive countless washing machine accidents and other horrors that cards typically go through.

News

Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

Egypt’s telecom regulator says $57.6 billion moved through more than 57 million wallets in six months. And one operator handled 77% of the value.

Published

4 days ago

September 12, 2026

Nour Nasir

egypt's mobile wallets are booming but cash still has power

Egypt’s mobile wallets handled EGP 2.96 trillion ($57.6 billion) in transactions in the first half of 2026, according to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority – a 56% rise on the EGP 1.90 trillion ($36.9 billion) recorded a year earlier. Transactions grew faster still, up 62% to 2.22 billion, while registered wallets climbed 23% to 57.01 million.

On one reading, that is exactly what Egypt’s regulators have been pushing for: a payments system that runs through telecom-linked wallets rather than banknotes. But the same data shows how far cash still reaches into it. Cash withdrawals made up just 12% of the transactions taking money out of wallets, yet 75% of the value withdrawn or spent.

Money arrives mostly from bank accounts: transfers through InstaPay accounted for 78% of deposit transactions and 58% of the value deposited, while incoming remittances from abroad made up 3% of deposit transactions but 10% of their value. Once inside, it largely moves between wallets – wallet-to-wallet transfers accounted for 54% of all transactions and 67% of total value, with mobile and internet top-ups a distant second at 25% of volume. In effect, the wallet is serving as a transfer layer: the place money passes through between the bank account and the banknote.

That layer also runs predominantly through one operator. Vodafone Cash held 53% of registered wallets and 57% of active ones, but handled 69% of transactions and 77% of their value. Its nearest rival, e& money, held 23% of registered wallets but 14% of transaction value; Orange Cash 20% and 8%; WE Pay 4% of wallets. How many of the 57.01 million are active is not stated.

Also Read: Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Adoption is rather uneven in other respects. Men held 38 million wallets, or 67% of the total, against 19 million held by women. Users aged 26 to 45 accounted for half of all wallets, and Cairo alone had 10.6 million, or 19% of the national total, with Giza next at 6.5 million.

The NTRA says it is continuing to work with telecom operators on the regulatory framework for wallet services, part of a wider effort to expand electronic payments and financial inclusion. Its own figures show that effort succeeding on the way in. On the way out, three-quarters of the value still leaves as cash.